The U2 Conference will hold its second meeting for an international gathering of scholars, critics, teachers, and fans in collaboration with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, April 26-27, 2013. The keynote speaker is Ann Powers, popular music critic for National Public Radio. The inaugural 2009 meeting drew a multi-disciplinary group from seven countries and featured over 40 formal presentations, three films, and a weekend of networking opportunities. It also produced the edited collection of essays Exploring U2: Is This Rock ‘n’ Roll? (Scarecrow Press, 2011).

The 2013 U2 Conference will also offer sessions on popular and mainstream U2-related topics. Presenter and moderator spots are open to all U2 fans, not only academics. Session formats may vary depending on the topic and presenters involved, and may include a mix of formal presentations, group discussions, and expert interviews.

The long-running independent U2 site, @U2, is organizing these popular audience sessions and is inviting interested parties to submit session ideas at their site.

Conference programmers are also developing a parallel track of presentations of interest to an academic audience and have issued a similar call for presentations.